Wild Week Two

The second Sunday in the NFL has just finished up with some surprises. A notable early game was the Cleveland Browns (1-1) facing the Indianapolis Colts (0-2). This was the second game the Colts played without their star quarterback Peyton Manning who is still sidelined with a neck injury. The Colts who have been known for their fast starts have been struggling without Manning and this was their chance to rebound against the notoriously weaker Browns. However, the Browns have a new look offense led by Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis at running back. Hillis had two touchdowns in a win over the dejected Colts.

Another perennial powerhouse that was looking to rebound after a week one loss was the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1). They were up against another lower echelon team in the Seattle Seahawks (0-2). The Steelers had better luck than the Colts and were back in old-fashioned Steeler form shutting out the Seahawks in a 24-0 win. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steeler offense with almost 300 yards passing and 126 of those yards were to speedy receiver Mike Wallace.

The Baltimore Ravens (1-1) embarrassed the Steelers in week one and they were looking to roll over the Tennessee Titans (1-1). The Titans offense thought otherwise. The pressured Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco throughout the game. Ravens gave up three sacks and Flacco threw two interceptions. The Titans quarterback is the veteran Matt Hasselbeck who torched the Raven's aging secondary with 358 yards passing.

In the later games the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) traveled to the west coast to face the San Francisco 49ers (1-1). The heavily scrutinized Dallas quarterback, Tony Romo, needed to have a big game to silence the critics (at least for a few hours). He had a slow start, trailing the 49ers by 14 at one point. Romo who was diagnosed with a cracked rib, played through the pain and brought the Cowboys back. The game went into over time. Romo threw a 77-yard pass to receiver Jesse Holly to set up the game winning field goal.

The New England Patriots (2-0) beat up on the visiting San Diego Chargers (1-1). Tom Brady threw for over 400 yards after his record breaking performance last Monday night. Deion Branch led the Patriot receivers with 129 yards. Rob Gronkowski, the Patriot's tight end caught two of the three Brady touchdown passes. The Chargers had four turnovers which led for 17 points for the Patriots.

The last game of the day was the most hyped and for good reason. The Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) invaded Atlanta to face the Falcons (1-1). Star quarterback Michael Vick visited his old stadium and his old team. Vick played a tough game. He had over 200 yards passing and two touchdowns, but also had three turnovers. The Eagles were leading into the fourth, but Vick took a hard hit and left the game with a concussion. Mike Kafka, the Eagles back-up, stepped in and played pretty well for his first NFL game. However, the Falcons rallied in the fourth to comeback and win their home opener. Falcon's quarterback, Matt Ryan, played an amazing game, racking up 195 passing yards and 4 touchdowns.

The Buffalo Bills (2-0) and the Detroit Lions (2-0) are two of the surprising teams this year. The Bills led by Harvard graduate, Ryan Fitzpatrick, put up 38 points against the Oakland Raiders (1-1). Fitzpatrick has thrown seven touchdowns and 472 yards with only one interception. The Lions are also off to a hot start beating the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2), 48-3. Their 2^nd year quarterback, Matthew Stafford, threw four touchdowns. Javid Best, the Lions running back, caught a touchdown pass from Stafford and ran one in on his own. These two notoriously, bad teams are putting up huge numbers these first two weeks of the season. These next few will show if they are serious contenders.